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April 12, 2011

Atheists in Foxholes

So it's true there are atheists in foxholes. Though I never really doubted it, and I certainly never believed it was a good argument or proof for belief to say there are no atheists in foxholes. Believing when bullets are flying over your head isn't the same thing as believing on a good and blessed day.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The cliche notwithstanding, there are atheists in foxholes. In fact, atheists, agnostics, humanists and other assorted skeptics from the Army's Fort Bragg have formed an organization in a pioneering effort to win recognition and ensure fair treatment for nonbelievers in the overwhelmingly Christian U.S. military.

"We exist, we're here, we're normal," said Sgt. Justin Griffith, chief organizer of Military Atheists and Secular Humanists, or MASH. "We're also in foxholes. That's a big one, right there."

For now, the group meets regularly in homes and bars outside of Fort Bragg, one of the biggest military bases in the country. But it is going through the long bureaucratic process to win official recognition from the Army as a distinct "faith" group.

As one who believes in, and preaches, the value of tolerance it seems to me that those of us who are people of faith may stand to learn a lot by taking into consideration the viewpoint of those most different from us. Although it's a challenge to do so, I've found that seeing through the eyes of others is a good method for understanding. My hope is that tolerance will be reciprocal among all people. The beginning is recognizing similarities and respecting differences, which isn't the same thing as buying into pluralism at all. All things are not equal, nor will they ever be.